Little Falls transcript., 1887-03-25

24
AN ACT to place the inmates of Insane Asvlu1ns
under the projection OF the laws by securing
to them their postal rights.
Be it enact Ell by the legislature OF the State Of
Minnesota:
SECTION l. That henceforth each and every
inmate VI each and every insane asvlunl, boyh
public and private In the State of Minnesota
shall be allowed to choose one individual from
the outside world TO whom he or she may write
when and whatever he or she desires, and
over these letters TO this individual there shall
be no censorship, exercised or allowed by any Of
the asylum officials or employees: but their
postof1ice rights, far this QUE individual is
concerned, shall be as free and unrestricted as
are those Of any other resident citizen OF the,
State OF Minnesota. and shall be under the pro-
lection Of the same postal laws; and each and
~evey inmate shall have the right to make % new
choice of this individual party every three
months ii he or she SO desires to do, and all such
letters shall be dropped by the writer's thereof,
accompanied by an attendant, when necessary,
into postotice box provided by the state at The
insane asylum, and kept in some place easy Of
access to all the patients The attendant is re-
Qnired in all cases to see that this letter is di-
rected to the patients correspondents and il it is
not so directed it must be held subject to the
superlntenlenE's disposal; and the contents Of
these boxes shall be collected once everv week
by an authorized person from the postofiice de-
part,ncnt and by him placed in the hands Of
the United States mali for delivery.
SEC. 2 That it Is hereby made the duty OF
the suDerintendent to keep registered and
posted, in some public place at the insane asylum,
a true copy or the names OF every individual
chosen az the inmates corr .spOndentS, and by
whom chosen, and it is hereby made the duty of
the superintendent to inform each OF the in
diviGuals Of the name of the party choosing him
or her, and he is to request him or her to
write his her own name on the
outside of the envelope OF every letter
he or she writes TO this Individual inmate: and
all these letters bearing the individual writer's
name on the outside. he is requested deliver
or cause to be de.ivcreG any letter Or writing to
him or her directed, without opening Or reading
the same, or allowing it to be opened or read,
unless There IL reason for believing the letter
contains some foreign substance which might be
used for medication. in which case the letter
shall be required to be opened in the presence Of
. competent witness. and this subsf ance shall
be delivered to the superintendent, to be used at
his discretion. III & sS:#9E 4,
SEc.3. [Thatl any person refusing or neglectlng
to comply with. or willingly or knowingly yiolaJ-
ing any OF the provisions OF this act, shall be
guilty OF . misdemeanor,tand upon conviction
thereof shall be punished ms the Criminal Code
of Minnesota prescribes, md by iueligibility to
any office in the asylum afterwards. - =
SEC. 4. That q printed c0py Of this act shal,
be framed and kept posted in every ward OF
every Insane asylum. bulh public and private.
in the State OF Minnesota. ~ s$.< jill,
SEC. s. That i'll acts or parts OF acts incon-
sisr-nt with the provisions Of this act s1e
hereby repeated 5ss IT.,
4s Sec 6. Tnis act shall take effect and be iu
fo.ce thirty days fro.-- it's passage.
Approved March 1st, eo5. .,. H.